Cash Register Stolen at St. Helens Business, Suspects Outstanding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2021

St. Helens, Ore. – The St. Helens Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying three suspects who stole a cash register from a St. Helens business and fled the area.

On Thursday, December 16, 2021, at approximately 4:51 p.m., a St. Helens officer observed a gold Chevy Tahoe traveling eastbound on Highway 30 at a high rate of speed and then running a red light near 555 S. Columbia River Highway. The officer initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle did not stop and fled at high speed. The officer terminated the traffic stop and did not pursue the vehicle for safety reasons.

About the same time, St. Helens officers received a report from dispatch of a theft at the Oriental Cafe at 555 S. Columbia River Highway, St. Helens. The caller stated that an individual came into the business wearing a ski mask, grabbed the cash register at the counter with an undisclosed amount of money inside, and fled the business. During the investigation, officers learned that the individual fled in a gold Chevy Tahoe. An area search was conducted, but police did not locate the SUV.

A short time later at approximately 5:54 p.m., officers received a report of an abandoned gold SUV parked on the side of the road near Sherwood Lane and South Bachelor Flat Road in Warren, Oregon. Neighborhood surveillance footage showed three individuals exiting the vehicle and fleeing the area on foot. St. Helens police conducted an area K-9 track with the assistance of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office but were unable to locate the suspects.

The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the St. Helens Police Department at 503-397-1521.

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For further information regarding this press release, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.